THE

COMPASSIONATE ATHLETEAthletes Tackle Questions about

Plant-Based Eating

“The more I learned, the more my body benefited and my results came quickly. More energy, shorter recovery time, increased stamina, improved

strength, and the peace of mind that no one had to die in order for me to live. I’m a 300 plus pound vegan, I’m living proof you don’t have

to kill animals to gain muscle.”

David Carter, former NFL player

A 2016 Harris Poll showed that about 3.7 million Americans are vegan—eating no meat, fish, dairy, or eggs. Millions more are vegetarian and don’t eat meat or fish.

More and more people just like you—including a growing number of professional athletes—are choosing to leave chickens, fish, and other animals off their plates. In this guide those athletes will tell you why they’ve decided to stop eating animals and how easy it is to excel on plant-based foods.

A NATIONAL TrENdYou may have already seen how animals are treated on today’s farms. You may have even seen how they are killed in slaughterhouses. You probably don’t like seeing those pictures and videos. Why? You’re a kind and decent person. You don’t want others to suffer unnecessarily.

“ I became vegan when I was a skinny teenager. Over the next decade following a vegan diet I gained 75 pounds and became a 2-time natural bodybuilding champion. Clearly, no meat was no problem for me.”

Robert Cheeke, bodybuilder

Seba Johnson, Olympic skier “ I changed my diet about four years ago because I wanted to cut out red meat for health reasons. From there, I stopped eating other meat products and then dairy. Finally, I went vegan.”

“Eating meat for so long, I was scared to make the change. After learning more about farmed animal abuse I went vegan. My diet changes with my

goals and competition prep, but always stays easy and delicious.”

Bianca Taylor, bodybuilder & model

Mike Zigomanis, champion hockey player

“ You can build the fastest, strongest, and most powerful body without contributing to needless animal suffering.”

“ There was always something off-putting to me about eating animals. I remember petting a chicken on my grandparents’ farm and realizing that she was another living creature with feelings and emotions. Like most people I grew up with dogs and cats I loved and cherished. While holding this chicken I thought, ‘How is she any different from them?’ Once I made that connection, there wasn’t any difference to me. I couldn’t bury my head in the sand any longer.”

Austin Aries, professional wrestler

Like all chickens, Scarlett has a unique personality. Studies also show chickens have a sense of time and they anticipate the future. Scarlett was raised for her eggs in a cage-free facility and was suffering terribly when she was rescued but now lives in a loving home. Because egg farms—including free range and cage-free—have no use for male chicks, they are often tossed alive into a grinding machine. Others are thrown into garbage bags to suffocate or starve.

MEET SCArLETT

BEFORE

AFTER

Egg-laying hens spend every minute packed in feces-filled

cages. The cages are so small, hens can barely turn around

and cannot spread their wings.

Chickens raised for meat spend their lives packed in a massive warehouse. They have been bred to grow so fast that by the time they are one month old it hurts many of them to walk. Ammonia from waste is so concentrated it burns their skin and lungs.

When chickens get sick, they can be clubbed on the head with a metal rod or left to suffer to death. At the slaughterhouse, they are electrically paralyzed before having their throats cut. If they avoid the blade—as many birds do—they will drown in a tank of scalding hot water.

Agricultural economists have found that when people eat less meat, producers raise and kill fewer animals. Here are some of the individuals you help spare each year.

21 chickens like Tilly, and even more if you

also cut out eggs

A turkey like Clove

A pig like Bob Harper

A cow like Meghan

MEET THE ONES YOU SPArE

“ Being vegan is not a hindrance but rather a tool to make you the very best you can be. Do it for yourself, for the animals and for all those you’ll inspire.”

Holly Noll, bodybuilder

“They’re like floating pig farms...Disease and parasites [on fish farms] run rampant.”

The Los Angeles Times, “Fish Farms Become Feedlots of the Sea”

© C

an S

tock

Pho

to In

c./J

ohan

nesk

Dozens of fish like this beautiful catfish

About half of the fish consumed by humans don’t come from the wild. Fish farms are often crowded enclosures where stress and filthy water cause death and disease. The manure drifts into neighboring rivers and oceans creating areas that no longer sustain life.

In the ocean, large driftnets catcheverything in their path, including sea turtles, sharks, whales, and dolphins whose bodies are then discarded. Fish pulled from the water suffocate for up to ten minutes. When dragged from deep ocean waters, their eyes bulge and their stomachs turn inside out from the change in pressure.

Fish have long-term memories and are smart enough to learn tricks. Like all farmed animals, fish are badly abused—they just can’t cry out.

MEET LUCILLE

Mother pigs live in crates too small to turn around.

Lucille (below) managed to flee from a transport truck on the way to auction. She ended up at Animal Place farmed

animal sanctuary and is now living a peaceful life. Lucille loves belly rubs and comes when called—pigs are quite smart and perform as well asdogs and chimps in intelligence tests.

Mother pigs are typically kept confined in cages so small they cannot turn around (pictured above). In these cages, they develop severe psychological problems, such as biting the bars until their teeth break, and banging their heads.

Baby pigs are often born on metal grating. At just six months old, pigs raised for meat are electrocuted or shot in the head with a metal rod. Some don’t immediately die and are drowned in scalding water.

“ So our animals can’t turn around for the 2.5 years they are in the stalls...who asked the sow if she wanted to turn around.” Dave Warner, Director of Communications, National Pork Producers Council

In order to produce profitable amounts of milk, a cow must give birth yearly. While the bond between mother and

baby is one of the strongest in nature, dairy calves are taken away within hours of birth—they won’t be together again.

“ I realized how absurd the notion of ‘needing’ meat in the diet was. I never looked back…View it as a positive change and look forward to all of the new amazing, healthy, and delicious foods you can eat.”

Mac Danzig, UFC fighter

“ Why strive for excellence in every other area of life but shirk our responsibility to be ethical in our lifestyle?”

Mindy Collette, bodybuilder

HOW dAIrY HArMS COWS

Only minutes old, this calf won’t see her mother again.

dOING IT rIGHTEating high protein foods such as beans, peanuts, and vegetarian meats will fulfill your daily protein requirement and provide satisfying meals. Plant-based diets are high in iron, and eating vitamin C at meals helps you absorb it. Consider a multivitamin with B12 to cover your bases. Order our Guide to Animal-Free Eating (see back cover) or visit VeganHealth.org for nutrition tips.

“ Ethics was and continues to be my primary motivator, but I’m also motivated by the diet’s efficiency and sustainability and the compelling evidence in its favor.”

Marcella Torres, bodybuilder

“Vegan athletes are making an international impact on mainstream fitness.

I feel great knowing that I’m not contributing to

animal suffering. Now it’s easier than ever to find

delicious vegan options.” Torre Washington, bodybuilder

Ed Bauer

“ Other bodybuilders eat steak, chicken, eggs, whey protein. I just eat vegan versions of that; tempeh, tofu, seitan, rice and pea protein, some nuts and seeds, spinach and broccoli.”

WHAT ABOUT PrOTEIN?“ does it matter if our protein comes from plants rather than animals? Proteins consist of twenty amino acids, eleven of which can be synthesized naturally by our bodies. The remaining nine–what we call essential amino acids–must be ingested from the foods we eat. A well-rounded whole food plant-based diet that includes a colorful rotation of foods like grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and legumes will provide all of these amino acids for even the hardest training athlete. I can absolutely guarantee that eating plant-based you will never suffer a protein deficiency!” Rich Roll, ultra-endurance athlete

Ed Bauer, champion bodybuilder

EATING OUTITAlIAN

INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANTSTHAI MIDDlE EASTERN

INDIAN MEXICAN CHINESE

CHAIN RESTAURANTS

VEgAN PIzzA gALORE!

• TACO BELL – bean burritos, bean tacos, potatoes, guacamole• CHIPOTLE – burrito, bowl, or tacos with sofritas and fajita veggies• JOHNNY ROCkETS – Streamliner burger and fries• OLIVE gARDEN – pasta with marinara, breadsticks, minestrone soup• NOODLES & COMPANY – Japanese pan noodles, spaghetti with marinara

While cheeseless pizza with lots of fixings is always a tasty option, many chains now carry vegan cheese and meats!

Check out Mellow Mushroom, Pie Five, PizzaRev, MOD Pizza, Pieology, Pi Pizzeria, and many more!

GETTING GrOCErIES

FREEZER

FRIDGE

PANTRY

MEAl ONE• 2 cups oatmeal• 1/2 apple, sliced as topping• Protein shake made with

1 scoop protein blended with 2 bananas and water

MEAl THREE • large green salad with 1/4

block blackened extra firm tofu, balsamic vinegar

• 1 large bowl red lentil and broccoli soup

MEAl FIVE

MEAl TWO • Smoothie blend 1 cup

cannellini beans, 3 bananas, 1/2 cup frozen spinach, 1 large carrot, 1 cup mixed berries, 1 scoop protein powder

MEAl FOUR • Snack: smoothie repeated from

Meal Two or large peanut butter and jelly sandwich

DAIlY TOTAlS• 3,700 calories• 180 g protein

• 700 g carbohydrate• 60 g fat

dErEK TrESIZE MEAL PLANBULkINg UP MEAL PLAN

• large green salad w/balsamic vinegar• 1 1/2 cups brown rice• 1/2 can black beans

• 1/2 avocado

PHOTOS: © Paige Carter (cover); © Farm Sanctuary (p2 upper); © karen Oxley (p2 lower); © Eric grant/EDg Images (p3 upper); © Donovan Jenkins (p3 lower left); © Schwartz Studios (p3 lower right); © Lee South (p4 upper); Direct Action Everywhere (p4 lower); © Humane Society of the United States (p5 upper); Mercy For Animals (p5 bottom); © Dani Mouser (p6 upper); © Farm Sanctuary (p8 chicken and pig); © Toni Okamoto (p8 turkey); CC SA BYNC Casey Morris (p8 cow); © Can Stock Photo Inc/Johannesk (p7 upper); © Art Phaneuf Photography (p7 lower); © Animal Equality (p6 upper); © Adrienne Szamotula (p8 lower); © Daniel Lupastean (p9 upper left); © PaulCorkery.com (p9 upper right); Jo-Anne McArthur (p9 lower); © Melissa Schwartz (p10 upper); © Raymond Moore (p10 lower); © Mark Rainha (p11 upper); © John Segesta (p11 lower); © iStock.com/dulezidar (p12 Italian); © iStock.com/SochAnam (p12 Thai); © iStock.com/kcline (p12 Middle Eastern); © Shutterstock/bonchan (p12 Indian); Brownble.com (p12 Mexican); ilovevegan.com (p12 Chinese); Follow Your Heart (p12 lower); © Margaret Chapman (p13 soup); © iStock.com/StockSolutions (p13 pizza); © Stephanie Lundstrom (p13 stir-fry); (CC) Suzutte (p13 bagel); (CC) Alex in Leeds (p13 veggie dog); (CC) Matias garabedian (p13 PBJ); © Renee Press (p13 nachos); © Melissa Schwartz (p14 upper); © Lee South (p15); © Mike zigomanis (back cover upper); © istockphoto.com/mkurtbas (back cover lower)

IT’S YOUr CHOICE

Printed with vegetable inks.© 2017 Vegan Outreach

PO Box 1916, Davis, CA 95617 • VeganOutreach.org/Contact

Once you’ve decided what will work for you, just get started and stick with it!

HOW WILL YOU START?“ I made the switch to vegan after a decade of eating vegetarian. It’s important to find an approach that works for you. Try starting with Meatless Mondays. Once you can do it for a day, try doing it for a few days, then do it during the week. After discovering delicious vegan versions of foods I already loved, it was easier to ditch meat altogether. Just like in the ring, you can’t jump in without first giving yourself the tools and the knowledge to succeed.”

Austin Aries, professional wrestler

Rev 7/17

GIVE IT A TrY

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter

FREE GUIDE get your animal-free eating guide with recipes and health tips:Text: “Starter” to 55678 Visit: VeganOutreach.org/guide

MEntoR PRoGRaMget free individual help in going veg: VeganOutreach.org/VMP

MoRE CoPIES To spread this information: VeganOutreach.org/Order

What do you think of this booklet? Let us know: VeganOutreach.org/Contact